Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of English, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-109).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2007. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 31-33).

abstract: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate several factors associated with cyberbullying and its victims; gender, age, and the time spent using various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Because cross-national studies are so important to understanding the similarities and differences found in this global problem, the current study explored the connection between traditional bullying and cyberbullying in middle school students in both the United States (N = 111) and Germany (N = 279). Participants ranged in age from 12 to 15 years and were administered self-report questionnaires during the regular school day. It was predicted that German students would have higher mean rates of CMC use; Americans would have higher mean rates of participation in and being victims of cyberbullying; there would be no mean differences in American and German student outcomes as either victims or perpetrators of traditional bullying. Results indicated that German students did use CMC more often than American students did, but Americans used certain forms of CMC more often, such as texting, IM and email. Contrary to expectations, Germans were more likely to participate in cyber and traditional bullying behavior. Americans did have a greater number of victims compared to perpetrators for both traditional and cyberbullying behavior. Additional results found that the American sample had a pattern of decreasing then increasing behavior as student age increased, across participation in all forms of bullying behavior, and participation rates often depended on the age of the students involved. Future research suggestions might focus on the importance of distinguishing the varying thought processes that define cyberbullying within a culture, specifically within our own culture. Additional research might also address how online communities and their inherent social norms and interactions, may inadvertently contribute to increasing cyberbullying and victimization of others outside of those groups and communities. Finally, due to the constant updating and improvement of social media, a follow- up study utilizing updated online applications would add considerably to the current knowledge base. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Psychology 2017

The pendulum of educators' interests often swings back and forth. In the current climate of high stakes assessment, there appears to be a greater emphasis placed on literal recall of information when reading. While in the short term, this may benefit score reports, there is a concern that higher order thinking skills, such as analysis, will fall by the wayside. In so doing, there may be long term effects on the citizenry of this country. A lack of shared experiences, paired with little or no opportunity to discuss and discern, could lead to an inability to participate in and manage a complex form of government, such as a democracy. In today's middle school literature classrooms, however, there is room for all types of thinking: from the simple to the complex. Teachers who desire to create an atmosphere that values the application of a variety of thinking can make their classrooms into communites that offer students the opportunity to think in a myriad of ways. These opportunities may be explicitly modeled by the educator and take the form of whole and small group discussion, developing questioning skills and using journal writing as a tool to develop meta-cognition.

This thesis presents the results of a study conducted to determine if visual aids impacted the general science capabilities of middle school students.

"The purpose of the study is to determine if through the experiences of an especially constructed learning unit eighth grade students can be helped to become aware of certain concepts concerning American painting and painters. Further, it was the purpose of this study to: 1. Examine the literature pertaining to the history of American art to ascertain the most pertinent and meaningful body of knowledge appropriate to a unit on American art in an eighth grade. 2. Devise the visual means for presenting this material to students. 3. Study the kinds of creative learning activities in art in the eighth grade that would relate to a study of American art, and select activities appropriate to the purpose of the study for the unit. 4. Integrate the material on American artists and their work with the creative activities in an especially constructed unit. 5. Determine by means of especially constructed tests, student's weekly written records, and evaluated student work whether knowledge was gained through the learning unit"--Introduction. / "August, 1962." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Ivan E. Johnson, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56).

Middle school students work with many types of maps in school, however most maps they use are qualitative thematic maps that only show differences in kind as compared to quantitative thematic maps that show differences in amounts. This thesis investigates sixth-grade students' abilities to analyze three types of thematic maps: dot maps, choropleth maps, and graduated circle maps. Two hundred and two Oregon sixth-graders were tested on their abilities to interpret map symbology, make inferences from the data, categorize values into regions, and ask geographic questions concerning data distributions. The results indicate that students can understand these three quantitative thematic maps for these purposes. These results also raise the question, "Why aren't there more quantitative thematic maps presented to students in middle school curriculum?"

Access to the to the Internet and to a variety of interactive mapping tools has increased interest among middle school teachers to use interactive maps in conjunction with learning activities. There is very little research in the area of interactive mapping in educational situations, specifically with regards to layer maps that combine multiple thematic layers on a single map. This study evaluates the relationship between the number of layers present on a web-based map and middle-school students' accuracy and timeliness using the map to answer geographic questions. Additionally, this study examines the specific effect of a hill shade on student response time and accuracy when answering questions do not require any terrain information. Tests were conducted in five Portland, Oregon area middle school classrooms using Blackboard CE8 to present maps and collect responses. The results of this research indicate no significant relationship between the number of layers present on a web map and middle school students' accuracy or response times while using the map to answer questions. The presence of a hillshade layers does not significantly impact the students' response times or accuracy while answering questions while using the map either.

No description available.